Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles

Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles

Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times

Griffith Park was the setting of James Dean's knife fight scene in "Rebel Without a Cause," the 1955 film that also starred Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo. The observatory opened in 1935 when the Griffith Trust, named for Col. Griffith Jenkins Griffith, transferred ownership of the observatory to the city of Los Angeles. The movie marked the first time a planetarium theater was used in a film. Today, a bust of Dean sits on the observatory lawn. Admission to the observatory and grounds is free. There is a fee to see shows in the planetarium. More info: http://www.griffithobservatory.org -- Jason La

Griffith Park was the setting of James Dean's knife fight scene in "Rebel Without a Cause," the 1955 film that also starred Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo. The observatory opened in 1935 when the Griffith Trust, named for Col. Griffith Jenkins Griffith, transferred ownership of the observatory to the city of Los Angeles. The movie marked the first time a planetarium theater was used in a film. Today, a bust of Dean sits on the observatory lawn. Admission to the observatory and grounds is free. There is a fee to see shows in the planetarium. More info: http://www.griffithobservatory.org -- Jason La (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Griffith Park was the setting of James Dean's knife fight scene in "Rebel Without a Cause," the 1955 film that also starred Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo. The observatory opened in 1935 when the Griffith Trust, named for Col. Griffith Jenkins Griffith, transferred ownership of the observatory to the city of Los Angeles. The movie marked the first time a planetarium theater was used in a film. Today, a bust of Dean sits on the observatory lawn. Admission to the observatory and grounds is free. There is a fee to see shows in the planetarium. More info: http://www.griffithobservatory.org -- Jason La